The results of an Australian report have shown that there is a growing demand for faster mobile broadband throughout the country, something which the government’s National Broadband Network policy needs to address. 47% of Australian internet users accessed the internet via a mobile phone in 2012, the report said, and this usage was definitely on the rise.

The McKell Institute, who conducted the independent report, called for the improvement of Australia’s broadband infrastructure, and to “embrace the convergence of the full opportunities of fixed and mobile technology convergence.” The report claimed that delivery of better mobile services could be made without changing the purpose of the NBN – instead, mobile services should be seen as an “ideal complement” to the policy.

Bill Morrow, CEO of Vodafone Australia – which commissioned the report – also spoke of telecommunications company Telstra’s stranglehold on this technology, claiming that if there was more room for competitors, rural and regional Australians could have improved access to high-speed internet. Michael Gordon-Smith, the author of the report, emphasized Morrow’s statement when he spoke of the need for the government to free up access to fixed wireless towers, so different internet providers could invest in the infrastructure needed in rural and regional areas.

The government’s response, given by Paul Fletcher, parliamentary secretary to the minister for communications, said the report “certainly makes sense”, even if it originated from Vodafone and not the government.